Long-awaited Marshalls Creek Bypass finally set to open

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation gave a sneak peek of the soon-to-open Marshalls Creek Bypass at an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.

HOWARD FRANK

You feel like you're cheating.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation gave a sneak peek of the soon-to-open Marshalls Creek Bypass at an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.

Before you know it, you're at its end.

The new road carrying Route 209 gently winds through a pristine, wooded section of Smithfield Township, uncluttered by billboards or commercial or residential development. That will surely change though, as surrounding landowners are approached by outdoor advertisers.

"This is the most significant transportation project in Monroe County in decades," PennDOT District 5 District Executive Mike Rebert said.

The $38.5 million bypass quickly takes you from a roundabout on Seven Bridge Road near Twin Falls Road to Milford Road just before the old Marshalls Creek flea market.

The road is set to officially open to traffic at 8 p.m. Monday, according to PennDOT.

The road bypasses the notorious intersections in Marshalls Creek, where two traffic lights and a major feeder to Interstate 80 have created traffic nightmares for years.

Tall rock cliffs on both sides of the new road show the extensive blasting required to build the road.

Designated the Marshalls Creek Traffic Relief Project, the project was decades in the making, having to overcome environmental and funding barriers to be built.

"We were trying to think of when this project started," said state Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-189, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It was probably started a couple years before I graduated high school."

The bypass is a limited access road, meaning the only entry points will be at the southern and northern ends. Residential and commercial developments cannot build a driveway accessing the bypass.

"The project started with former state Rep. Joe Battisto and former Smithfield Township Supervisor Al Wilson," said state Rep. Mario Scavello, R-176. "The two sat on a rock across from it and drew the bypass on a brown paper bag."

The road is about 1.5 miles from end to end, slightly shorter than the existing route. But besides bypassing persistent traffic snarls, it will also steer traffic away from retailers like Weis supermarket at the intersection of Milford Road and Route 402 and Alaska Pete's on Seven Bridge Road.

Work will continue later this summer to replace the Seven Bridge Road bridge over Marshalls Creek. The closure is expected to last between two and three months. Seven Bridge Road will be closed between the roundabout and Twin Falls Road for the duration of the bridge work.

Yet to be seen is whether the bypass will eliminate traffic snarls or just move them to the northern and southern ends of the new road. But many local officials believe it will provide long-needed relief.

"It will change how you deal with your family life," said state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20.